So I have spend the last 4 weeks in New Zealand. I have had a good month in New Zealand but in the whole time I've been in the country I have spent most of my time relaxing and catching up with friends rather than going out and doing some of the activities. This is due to both the length of time I've spent in my home town of Hamilton and the weather.
Seeing it is winter at the moment in the Southern Hemisphere, one has to realise it is going to be pretty cold, especially in New Zealand. When you get to New Zealand, depending on what part of the country you are going to, you are at least going to see cold winds and rain. In some areas of New Zealand you will see snow is well. So been well prepared for cold weather! I've already caught a cold since I've been here because I didn't bring enough warm close.
For me, there isn't really much to do in Hamilton, New Zealand. This is because it is not a big city like Auckland or Christchurch where they are more focused on bring tourists to their cities. I would still recommend coming to Hamilton though for a short stay, so it's not a complete waste of time. There are three things I would highly recommend seeing if you are going stop in Hamilton at this time of year.
The first is the Fieldays. This event is held at Mystery Creek and is one of the largest farming events in the country. It runs for 4 days on the second weekend of June. It's a really big event. I only went on Thursday but you can go for all 4 days. It is quiet a big event in my opinion are there is quiet a lot to see, so be prepared for ALOT of walking. For more information, including next year's dates, check out www.fieldays.co.nz.
Lake Rotorua(better know as Hamilton lake) is located just outside of the CBD and is easily accessible by walking or taking a bus. It's a good place if you want to spend a little time with friends and family and have a picnic. If you are going to walk around the lake and have lunch, it would be good to spare about 1hr 30min - 2 hr at least as it took me just over an hour just walk around the lake itself. It's is a lovely place with many different birds and a nice place to relax.
The Hamilton gardens is another good place to take the family. It is located in Hamilton east and is easily accessible by car or bus. It is free to visit is well, so its good for your pocket. You can walk there if you are staying close by. It has quiet a few different themed gardens and a small lake is well. When I went there they did have a couple of gardens under construction so if you go there they might be finished by then. It took me at least 2 hours to have a small look at each themed garden. I recommend if you would like to have a look at each themed garden, to have a spare 3 hours at least. Otherwise you cane spread it over a couple of days if you are limited on time. It is a lovely place and I really enjoyed it. If you would like to know more, visit hamiltongardens.co.nz.
I also went to the Hamilton Museum. The Hamilton Museum is easily located on the edge of town, so you can walk or take a busy there. The museum is free, but there maybe a couple of the exhibitions that do involve a cost. I'm actually glad I went because even though a couple of the exhibitions where small, I think it has better exhibitions there than they used to have. This museum does have a kids area, though I believe there is a cost to it. Most of the exhibitions at the museum look at the history of Hamilton and New Zealand. It also has a lot of Maori history is well. So you will definitely learn a lot while you are here. If you would like to know more, visit www.waikatomuseum.org.nz.
So that's basically my holiday home in a nutshell. I hope the information I have provided is really helpful to you! Well, until the next post, happy reading!
